The soul of the desert.
“That’s how the owners who built this home describe it,” says Lisa Westcott of Scottsdale-based luxury property agency RETSY. “It really resonated with me. I’ve been here for 31 years, and there is something truly special and unique about the desert here—and about this home.”
But does being soulful have to mean dialed-down? Simple? Or the now-deemed-as-cringey term, basic? Certainly not when it comes to this $12 million property in Scottsdale’s gated Legend Canyon community. A home that has managed to marry the newest in technology and essential sustainability with a slick design, yet still reads as warm and human-scale inviting in its idyllic Arizona setting.
The owners built the property as a second home in 2023. The decision to sell now is bittersweet, because, they say, they “poured their hearts and soul” into creating the “final stop on the tour” of the many homes the couple have built. A labor of love is no understatement when it comes to a property like this, but life dictates our decisions and these sellers are letting this home go, with hopes that its next owner will be like-minded and love it as much as they do.
Designed by Arizona architect Tom Mooney and built by Modern Splendor Homes, the property sits between Pinnacle Peak and the Troon mountains, quietly commanding pause at every window. The single-level design carries a 7,063-square-foot stamp, with five bedrooms separated by a middle “loungey parlor space” that provides privacy when guests come to stay. And in a space like this, expect plenty of visitors who’d love to call this desert oasis home for as long as you’ll have them.
The owners have a soft spot for nature and spending as much time outdoors as possible, and the property’s design and layout reflect this passion. For instance, rather than simply walking out the door and bee-lining to the pool, they created a resort-like outside space with mature landscape planting throughout. Where “you walk the property, and can be gone a few hours in your own backyard.”
Inside and outside the main structure, the owners collaborated closely with building and landscaping teams to choose special materials that, while unique and hard-to-find were also realistic choices for an at-times harsh desert environment. Leaning into the experts and their experienced advice was a position the owners took, working together and choosing a particularly tactile leathered granite for the kitchen island, black Cantera stone for countertops, and an interesting aggregate wallpaper, featured in a mixed-media fireplace treatment.
The tech component? “Well, that is an itch I always want to scratch,” laughs one of the owners. “Smart home is such a ubiquitous term, but what does it really mean? I wanted something more comprehensive.” So they chose a significant upgrade beyond first-generation voice-activated companions—the fully integrated Josh AI system, which can be controlled by voice, text or touch, and is completely intuitive once it knows your living habits.
Lighting. Many claim to not notice it and dismiss its value. That is, until they experience technology like Ketra [which was acquired by intelligent-lighting titan Lutron in 2018]. A significant investment at $120,000 sure, but the owners claim that this customizable atmosphere, shifting effortlessly through the day, is a game-changer with its “ability to change your mood and space and adapts to respond to time of day like your circadian rhythm would.”
And to any dreamy desert evening? “Nighttime is bonkers, when you walk outside with all the stars in the sky and set this mood lighting… it creates a whole new environment.”
Scottsdale’s summer temperatures can reach scorching triple digits, while the winter months dip down to packable puffy-coat weather, and those extremes are typical in a desert. But how does one address the cooling and heating of a large property with eco-conscious intention?
“The region caters very well to the solar aspect, and we knew right away we wanted that to sustain a major portion our property, install tankless heaters, and h vac systems that have added efficiencies for us down there,” say the owners. “We did plenty with that infrastructure side of things.”
10784 E Pinnacle Peak Road is listed by Babbi Gabel and Lisa Westcott of RETSY, a member of Forbes Global Properties, the invitation-only network of top-tier independent brokerages worldwide, and the exclusive real-estate partner of Forbes.